Redesign Me, State of the Art (Jalex)

For Every One of Us There's an Army of Them

Alex's POV

That bastard. I couldn't believe him. The fact that he would run away and leave just to save his own hide was absolutely appalling to me.

Why didn't he try to stop them? Why did he just let me get taken away?

I had so many questions, and if I ever got to see him again you better believe I was gonna ask all of them.

Once dragged inside, my body was tossed into a stolen chair from the dining room table. From that point on I became a literal prisoner in my own home. Sure there were no ropes around my wrists or ankles, but every minuscule movement I made earned a watchful glance in my direction.

My mother had taken up the act of ignoring my questions and instead was yelling at the large man who had left already forming bruises on my forearms. He seemed rather annoyed with it and kept swatting her away like a fly that wouldn't stop buzzing around his head. The tear trails on her face continued to be replenished by a new supply of grief while she argued. I wanted to get up and do something, instead of just sitting there and being useless, but along with the threatening death glares from the men and his cohorts, a mechanical looking bracelet had been attached to my wrist. I had tried to disappear the second I was sat in the chair, and earned a laugh from one of the men in the kitchen who had been watching me. It was at that point that I took a wild guess the bracelet had something to do with my lack of transparency. I wanted to get up and help, or defend myself, or something, but I had no idea what else the mechanical device could do, and I wasn't going to risk getting electrocuted or some shit and end up really being of no use to anyone.

"You knew this was gonna happen sooner or later Isobel. You took your chances, that's not my fault," the man finally replied to her, catching my attention.

"How can you even say that? You tricked me! I thought you were a realtor from New Jersey, not this! And then you did those tests on Alex without my permission; how did you think I was going to react? I'd just pretend we were some big happy family? I had to what was best for my son Peter!" she screamed in his face.

"Woah, hold on," I yelled from across the room. My mom stopped, her finger still pointing in Peter's face. They both turned to look at me, finally realizing that they weren't the only two people in the room. "Family?" I asked incredulously. My mom lowered her hand and stared down at her feet, almost looking ashamed. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Alex, there's no need to swear," Peter reprimanded me.

"You, shut the fuck up," I shot back standing finally. The two suits in the kitchen reflexively moved toward me, but Peter put a hand up, signaling them to leave me be.

"Lex I can explain honey," she had gone back into mother mode.

"Then please do, cause I am so very confused."

"I know you don't really remember your father, or why he left. I never really wanted you to know about any of it," she continued, her eyes still trained on the floor.

"Father?" my words continued to sink deeper down into my throat and it felt like someone had just poured a bag of sand down my gullet.

"Yes. Peter is your father," she said quietly. I was too stunned to speak, to move, to do anything really.

I was finally looking at the man who had abandoned my mother and I nearly 15 years ago.

"Why? Why'd you do it?" I had violently swallowed the sand and was tearing my voice apart to be heard. "What was so important that you had to leave your own goddamn family?"

"Alexander, please. That was never my intention-," he started.

"No, let me," my mom interjected. She looked less ashamed now, and more defeated. "When I married your father-"